


Night & Day

by Naramis



Category: Gentleman Jack (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Blood and Violence, Eventual Smut, F/F, Medium Burn...ish, Modern Era, Vampires
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-21 03:40:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30015585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Naramis/pseuds/Naramis
Summary: In retrospect, it had been a night like any other to Anne Lister - find a target, follow them and attack when the time was right. Simple. Only sometimes, meeting the right person could change everything.
Relationships: Anne Lister (1791-1840)/Ann Walker (1803-1854)
Comments: 51
Kudos: 68





	1. Chapter 1

The soft pattering of the rain was filling the cold air as it drenched the city of Halifax, little puddles having formed over the last few hours of continuous downpour. The warm orange glow of the streetlights reflected off the puddles in the mostly deserted streets at this late hour. The nightly sky, naturally dark, seemed less comforting and more on the angry side tonight than usual – perhaps, Anne thought bitterly, God was silently imposing punishment on her for being out hunting by utterly soaking her through. If there was a God, she couldn’t really blame them.

She clutched her coat to herself tighter, glad it was keeping her dry as she perched on top of the roof and her eyes followed the woman walking down the pavement underneath. Anne silently hoped that she would reach her home soon and would turn out a worthwhile target – her patience was starting to run thin, her stomach was growling and she was starting to become a little agitated with her growing hunger. From experience she knew she had a little longer until reaching a state she’d rather avoid.

Unseen in her black coat under the cover of darkness, Anne followed the woman atop the roofs of Halifax, sighing a breath of relief as she stopped in front of a small apartment building and entered. Anne watched from the building next to it, needing to find out which flat the blonde lived in.

She smiled pleased with herself when the lights turned on in one place shortly after. It even had a spacious balcony, how convenient. No time to waste. Anne closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and focusing as her body shifted into bat shape fluidly so she could fly the short distance over, sitting on the railing and observing the area briefly.

No open windows that she could squeeze through as a bat, so she likely had to break in the old-fashioned way. Not the first time, wouldn’t be the last. Anne was about to fly off the railing and change back when the balcony door opened. She sat frozen in place, expecting the woman to come out but a few seconds in nothing happened. Well, that open door certainly was an invitation.

Anne landed on the balcony and focused, her body turning back into its usual shape until she stood in place, straightening out her coat before stepping close to the window next to the balcony door and peeking inside. She saw no one at first glance.

There were no obvious signs the woman didn’t live alone, so Anne hoped her assumption was correct and no one would show up to interrupt her. She removed her hood to enter.

Ann rolled her shoulders, taking a long look at herself in the mirror. The dark rings under her eyes made her look exactly as tired as she felt, which was no surprise after today’s twelve-hour shift at the hospital. She removed the last bits of make-up, yawning before turning to leave her bathroom. Ann loved her job as a doctor and helping people, but God, some days she felt like she could easily sleep a year or so. Especially nights like tonight when she’d only be home at these late hours. She was already looking forward to her day off tomorrow.

The refreshing cold breeze coming from the living room enveloped her as she walked down the hallway towards her kitchen, and the soft pattering of the rain could be heard from outside as Ann was on her way to get herself a little snack before it was time for a well-deserved rest. It soothed her, taking the stress of the day off her shoulders, so she stopped by her living room and entered through the open door.

Ann stopped dead in her tracks the moment she saw the tall woman standing in the middle of her living room, her long dark hair moving gently with the breeze as she looked at her with as much surprise as Ann was feeling. Ann took a step back instinctively but gathered her courage despite the nervousness she was feeling with this intimidating stranger clad in all black staring back at her. Her hands were cold with sweat as she looked straight into her eyes.

“What are you doing here?”

Anne inwardly cursed her terrible timing. She’d wanted to catch her off guard, that usually made things easier – for one, she could almost guarantee to keep them quiet and do this quickly and smoothly if they weren’t aware before she attacked. That chance was now gone, and if this woman decided to start screaming, which wouldn’t be the first time that happened to Anne, well, it wouldn’t be ideal to say the least.

That said, giving the woman a quick look up and down, Anne didn’t think she would scream. In fact, she found herself caught off guard by how tired eyes looked back at her and held her gaze with a strength she hadn’t expected. She still looked somewhat nervous with how her left hand clutched her white dress shirt, and it occurred to Anne that this woman had no idea what she was and what she planned to do yet. Perhaps she would scream after all.

Anne was fast – one of the perks of the wretched existence that she refused to refer to as living – faster than a regular human could react to. She used this to her advantage as she closed the distance between them in a heartbeat, pressing the blonde against the wall and covering her mouth with her hand just in case she would try to alert her neighbours.

Blue eyes widened in panic as Anne hovered close to her face, bringing her finger up to her lips to signal her to say quiet. Ann slowly nodded, but Anne kept her hand over her mouth just in case, keeping her pinned to the wall with her bodyweight as she tried to squirm against her. There was no use really, as a vampire, Anne’s strength exceeded even that of the strongest men.

She kept eye contact, shaking her head at her. “Don’t. If you keep still, this will be easiest for both of us.”

Anne didn’t fail to notice how blue eyes widened once again as they flicked down to her mouth. She knew her fangs gave away her identity when speaking, and the woman seemed to understand that – but not what Anne had just told her, apparently – as she started wiggling against her again with more desperation, trying to kick at her until Anne pinned her into the wall more insistently, frowning briefly in frustration. Had she not listened to what she’d just said?

But then she saw her forehead creasing with fear and her hand became wet as a set of tears escaped the woman’s eyes as she stilled. Anne swallowed. There were reactions from her victims that she was used to: most encounters entailed several attempts to scream, to fight her with her all their power and all four limbs, tries to escape and the like. Some also insulted her if they got the chance. Not the smartest thing to do, but Anne had stopped caring a long time ago – she knew what she was, and she wasn’t proud of it.

But Anne couldn’t recall the last time someone had cried and resigned themselves to their fate – to death, she realised. She knew what society thought about her kind, and they were mostly right. Anne felt her chest tighten for a brief moment before she pushed the unwanted feelings aside.

“I won’t kill you,” she said quietly, unsure why she felt the need to tell her this instead of just going for the bite already. “I promise. I will only take a little. You’ll be fine.”

The woman slowly nodded, seemingly bracing herself for impact as she closed her eyes.

Anne moved close, pulling the collar of her shirt away from her neck to expose the creamy skin. Her mouth watered at the sight, and she licked her lips as she leaned close.

Anne loathed to admit it, but there were few things that compared to the feeling of sinking her fangs into someone’s skin, of the first sweet taste of their blood wetting her tongue. Anne groaned as her senses were overwhelmed, everything around her distorting as she sucked the blood out of her, barely registering the pained moan coming from her victim.

This one’s blood tasted especially sweet. Anne was disciplined, but still it needed all of her willpower to pull away in time so the woman would not be in any serious danger. She loosened her hold on her and removed her hand from her mouth to give her room to breathe properly.

From the moment Ann had moaned as she felt the sharp stinging sensation of the vampire’s fangs tearing through her skin, everything had been a blur around her, a dull throb mingling with the general pain that was coursing through her neck, underlined by the sound of her blood rushing in her ears with how rapidly her heart was beating.

She took a shaky breath the moment the pain subsided and only the throbbing remained, and when the vampire let go of her, she opened her eyes, nearly shuddering as she saw the blood – _her_ blood – on the vampire’s lips and around her mouth before she wiped it away with the back of her hand. Their gazes met, and Ann swallowed as she saw how much the stranger’s eyes had darkened. She looked wild, much more like the vampire she was than when Ann had first spotted her in this room.

Ann had heard the stories, had seen the dead bodies on the news that were sometimes mutilated even – she knew like every sensible person that meeting a vampire most definitely meant certain death. There were only few exceptions, but apparently she was one. Ann reached up to her neck, feeling the two fang wounds under her fingertips but other than that the wound was mostly dry and she wasn’t losing blood. She took a deep breath as the realisation that she had indeed cheated death hit her.

Her instincts told Ann this was a good moment to leave the room, to run and lock herself in her bedroom and call the police. She had been afraid to lose her life, had accepted her fate the moment Anne had revealed herself as a vampire – but looking at her now, Ann only felt a sense of curiosity overcome her. Maybe it was the shock and adrenaline numbing her and making her braver than she should be, maybe it was all the dreadful things Ann had seen already working in a hospital, but she didn’t feel fear in that moment.

“Why?”

Anne raised her eyebrows in surprise as she looked at her, her laboured breathing calming as her senses returned to her and the animalistic part retreated again. She still had a little trouble focusing properly, but she knew regardless that it wasn’t every day that someone she just bit stuck around to ask questions.

“Why what?”

“Why did you keep me alive?”

Anne took a step back, crossing her arms in front of her chest as she kept her distance. Why did this woman want to know? Why was she not running off like every other sane person? Looking at her, Anne only saw exhaustion and – strangely – interest written on her face.

She guessed after taking her blood, she deserved an honest answer to her question.

“It’s what I do. I avoid killing wherever I can. It’s-“ Anne gestured emptily in the air as she tried to look for words. She was about to continue making her point when she saw the blonde’s eyes losing focus before falling shut. Anne was right next to her just in time to catch her and stop her from falling over, cradling her in her arms.

 _Fuck._ Had she taken too much blood after all? Anne pushed up her sleeve to feel for her pulse, letting out a sigh of relief – it was there, a little weak but she was alive.

Anne looked around for a place she could rest, deciding against the sofa in a quick decision and picking her up to leave the room, carrying the woman in her arms to find her bedroom.

She carefully lowered her on the bed, covering her with the blanket when she noticed her shiver. The blonde was generally rather pale, but Anne was sure she’d not been _this_ pale when she’d entered her home, and her skin felt a little cool to the touch when Anne checked.

Anne looked over to the window. She’d done her part, hadn’t she? Maybe she fucked up, and worst case this woman would die despite her trying not to take too much. Accidents happened, though. Anne took a step back. She should get out of here as long as she could.

Looking back down to the small person wrapped in her blanket, her chest gently heaving with her breaths as she rested, Anne felt a pang of guilt. This wasn’t the first time she fucked up, although there’d been worse cases that she did not want to think about right now.

But there was something else. For some bizarre reason, this woman had shown no disgust at what she was – she’d been in fear, naturally, but Anne had seen no signs of revulsion like she usually would from humans. Instead, the young woman had looked at her with interest in her eyes. And she’d attempted to talk to her. How odd was that?

Part of Anne felt a little warmer at the thought, and it was that gentle lingering feeling that made her take off her coat before heading out of the room to find the woman’s kitchen. She knew very little about what to do when someone had lost a lot of blood – other than a transfusion, which she could not offer of course – but she had heard before that some sugary snacks were good for when they woke to stimulate their circulation.

She quickly found what she was looking for, taking a chocolate bar as well as a bottle of water back to the room and placing them on the nightstand. Anne looked down to the woman in her bed, finding herself staring at the way her blonde hair framed her face, the softness of her features standing out more now that she was unconscious and relaxed. Anne couldn’t take her eyes off her – she was beautiful, there was no doubt about it.

She briefly found herself wondering what her name was and if she had a boyfriend but shook off those thoughts quickly. Anne had bitten her and that was the beginning and the end of it. She reached for her coat.

Once she’d put it on, Anne turned to leave but looking over her shoulder, she couldn’t shake off the nagging feeling imploring her to check on her once again. Anne shook her head at herself – usually, she’d be long gone by now – but moved back to her side.

She carefully turned the woman’s head to check the wound. No fresh blood leaking, and all looked like it would heal well. The colour was also returning to her face, a good sign. Anne felt a little more relieved when she rose and quietly left the room.

The rain was greeting her when she left through the balcony door, closing it behind her before taking a deep breath and shapeshifting. The wind was carrying her as she flew through Halifax aimlessly to clear her head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you've enjoyed this first chapter and are up for more. I've got quite a few things planned for this one. Just a reminder that there will be some more or less graphic violence and blood included in this story. Now, what do you guys think so far? :)


	2. Chapter 2

Ann woke with a groan, a headache making her head pound as she forced her eyes open, immediately regretting it as the early morning sun coming through the window blinded her. She closed her eyes again, pulling the blanket higher up. Whatever hour it was, she had no interest in getting up.

That was until the events of last night came back to her in a flash, and suddenly she felt disoriented as she looked around herself to make sure she really was in her bed. How’d she ended up here? She searched her memory, but no matter how hard she concentrated – which was a challenge in her current rather lightheaded state – the last thing she recalled was looking at the vampire before everything went black.

She’d passed out, but clearly she must’ve woken at some point to get herself to bed. Or had this all been a dream? Ann briefly considered the possibility with how bizarre her memories felt but was brought back to reality when she reached for her neck and found the bite marks.

Ann let out a long sigh, forcing herself to sit up slowly since she knew she’d lost plenty of blood and was unstable. Her head was spinning, everything around her seemingly turning as she struggled and let herself back down.

Her gaze fell over to her right, her eyebrows going up in surprise when she spotted the chocolate bar and water next to her. Had she had the clarity of mind to put these there last night with whatever energy she’d had left? Or had the vampire…? But that would mean-

_No._ Certainly she wouldn’t have. Vampires were selfish creatures, Ann reminded herself, even if her first encounter with one had been vastly different from what would be expected. This one hadn’t quite matched the image in her head of a cruel monster that would tear her apart and suck every little drop of blood from her.

This one had been different. Ann was living proof of it. So maybe… maybe the vampire had helped her after she passed out, even though Ann knew she would never learn the truth. Ann reached for the chocolate bar and removed the wrapping, hungrily digging into the rich chocolate.

It was pointless since she would never see her again, but Ann couldn’t pull her thoughts away from the vampire, questions rushing through her mind one after another. Did she always keep her victims alive? Ann vaguely recalled the vampire telling her she tried to avoid killing wherever she could, so that suggested she generally kept them alive. What was her reason for this? Why had she chosen Ann last night? What was her name?

Ann was burning with curiosity. She’d always been eager to learn about those things that she did not understand, and this was no exception. She wanted to find out all these answers, and while it was probably for the better that she wouldn’t, part of her was disappointed.

She opened the bottle, sat up a bit and took a big swig as the stranger appeared on her mind once more in her black coat, her long flowing hair and dark mysterious eyes. Ann wasn’t shy to admit that perhaps part of her fascination came from the fact that this stranger was attractive. Biting her lip, she shook her head at herself with a smile. Definitely not the right person to fancy.

Putting the bottle aside, Ann lay back down and closed her eyes until she drifted off into a light slumber for a few hours. When she woke again, she felt much better, the dizziness mostly faded. She still felt a little rattled but found herself able to get out of bed.

After a long hot shower, Ann stood in front of her bathroom mirror, tracing her fingertips over the two fang marks. They were smaller than she’d have expected, especially after seeing much nastier, bigger and often gaping wounds with skin torn out when almost dead victims had been brought to her hospital in desperate – often futile – attempts to save their lives. Those were the worst examples, admittedly, but those images had stuck with her.

Her wounds were not like those. The vampire had told her she wouldn’t kill her, had promised it even, and by how small the wounds were in comparison, Ann could sense the truth in that promise; she’d really controlled herself.

She looked at the wound for a moment longer before deciding to get dressed and call Catherine. Ann needed someone to talk to about this.

Comfortably dressed in a baggy shirt and sweatpants to relax the rest of the day, Ann dug her phone out of her bag. There was an unread message.

_Thomas: Hey Annie. I was just thinking of you. How are you? I haven’t heard from you in ages. Call me sometime?_

Ann groaned as her insides twisted with disgust. Thomas Ainsworth had been persistently trying to get together with her for years at this point, spurred on by the encouragement he got from part of her family that thought they’d make a “wonderful couple”.

Apparently, what Ann thought about this didn’t matter too much. Or the fact that she was a lesbian – whenever she brought that up, she was reminded of that one brief phase when she’d been unsure and had kissed a guy. Once. When she was sixteen.

She’d largely resorted to ignoring his messages, which unfortunately didn’t deter him. Sometimes he would even call, and Ann found it much harder to say no over the phone and often times ended up with an unwanted evening spent at an expensive restaurant with Thomas.

But she didn’t want to think about this right now. She swiped the message away and called Catherine.

“How’s my favourite cousin?”

Ann chuckled at the cheerful greeting. “Oh, Cath. You will not believe what happened to me.”

Lying down on her sofa, she told Catherine every detail about what had transpired with the vampire last night.

“Holy shit, Ann. You’re okay though, yeah?”

Ann nodded as if Catherine could see her. “Yes, all good. Was a little lightheaded earlier, but now I’m good.”

“You sure?”

Ann smiled. “Yes. You do know I’m a doctor, right?” Her smile widened.

“I’m just saying. That is… wow. You’re so lucky you’re still alive!”

Clearly, Catherine was as taken aback by the whole thing as she was. Unsurprisingly, considering Ann could easily be dead today.

“I know. That doesn’t happen every day. She wasn’t what I would’ve expected from a vampire at all.”

“What do you mean?”

Ann bit her lip, debating for a moment if she should say what she was thinking. This was Catherine though, her best friend; she’d tell her everything.

“I mean… other than the fact that she was there to bite me, she was kind of considerate, you know? And she was rather, uhm, attractive.” She swallowed as a slight blush spread on her cheeks.

“Oh my God.” Catherine laughed, but not unkindly. “Seriously, Ann? A vampire?”

“Well, I’m just saying,” Ann responded sheepishly. “It’s not like I’ll see her again anyway.”

“True, true. Well, I guess vamps can be hot too.”

They laughed together, and Ann once more appreciated that she could be so open with Catherine and wouldn’t be judged for it. After a few moments when they’d calmed, her friend cleared her throat.

“Have you already reported it to the police?”

Oh. Somehow, that had totally slipped her mind.

“I… I haven’t actually thought about that yet. I suppose I should.”

“You don’t sound too bothered.” Catherine chuckled.

“I mean… no. I don’t think she’ll return, and I can’t imagine the police can get any clues from my wound to trace her down, right?” _And I kind of don’t want them to,_ she added in her head.

“I guess probably not, no. But you should report it, Ann. They’ll freak out in the hospital if you show up unannounced with a vampire bite. I can already picture it.”

Ann nodded, fiddling with her shirt. “You’re right.” She made a mental note to call in.

After that, the two women chatted for a while longer about any news around the hospital – Ann always appreciated sharing her workplace with her best friend, even if they often didn’t work together that much with Ann’s position as a doctor and Catherine being a nurse.

****

Anne turned on her side as she woke up, reaching for the lamp on her nightstand. It was rather unnecessary since her eyesight allowed her to see just fine even in the pitch-black darkness of her home, but over the years Anne had made a point of it to keep some little things the way she would’ve done them as a human. Something Tib didn’t tire of pointing out to her, and that she needed to ‘let go’.

She looked at her alarm clock. 5:23pm. The sun must just be setting at this time, she thought and sat up to stretch her stiff limbs. Padding over to the window, she pressed the button and carefully opened the electric shutters enough so she could see if there was any sunlight left, but only the blueish early evening sky could be seen. She opened them all the way, standing still in front of the large window and admiring the remaining orange glow at the horizon mingling with the dark blue that was drowning it out as time progressed.

Anne often watched these last bits of the sun disappear in the evenings if she was up early enough – and she generally was. She’d been a bit of an early riser when she was still human, and this was the next best thing she got to watching the sunrise in the mornings, at least this time of year when autumn was turning into winter.

In summer, when the sunrise came earlier, Anne would often stand at her window and watch the sky brighten until the first pink glow signalling the sun’s impending arrival would show, forcing her to retreat to the safety of darkness. As a human, she used to love the long sunny days of summer, but now she preferred the long dark nights of winter and hated that summer forced her to hibernate for most of the day.

This world wasn’t made for her kind, and it didn’t tire to remind her every single second of her existence. Anne frowned at the thought, but chased it away knowing she couldn’t change anything about her fate anyway.

Giving the sky one more look, Anne turned on her heels and went for a shower to start her night on a better note. As the warm water engulfed her, her thoughts were drawn to the young blonde woman she had bitten last night. It wasn’t uncommon for a fleeting thought here or there to go to the more likeable of her victims, but they usually dissipated quickly.

Now her mind lingered a little, however, and she wondered what the woman might be doing this evening. Was she spending it alone? Or would she perhaps be working late again like last night? Unlikely. She was probably still recovering and had the time off. Anne hoped she was doing okay.

Why was she even thinking about her this much at all? Anne gave herself a long look in the mirror before wrapping the towel around her body and leaving the bathroom to get herself a coffee.

Usually she made a proper one with her coffee machine, but on the odd nights she was in a bit of a weird mood – like tonight, apparently – she would open her fridge and take out one of those coffees in a can.

Tib rightfully always made a face at her for drinking these; they were awful, really, but Anne found that on some nights the thin coffee-like flavour that was only borderline drinkable did something for her. She downed the contents in a few gulps before crushing the small can and disposing of it.

The skies were clear tonight, so Anne opted for her favourite leather jacket, black pants and shirt and boots. Giving herself a quick look in the mirror, she nodded pleased with the result. On her way out of her bedroom, her gaze fell on the revolver that was hanging on the wall, and she could practically hear Tib’s voice echoing in her mind telling her she should take it with her more often, even if it was unlikely she would need it.

Anne often didn’t see the point in carrying the firearm around with her on the off chance that she’d get into trouble with the vampire hunters and her usual powers might not be enough. She shook her head and stepped onto her balcony, breathing in the fresh evening air before shapeshifting.

There was always something freeing about flying through Halifax, the darkness and her small size making her practically invisible. She could fly wherever she wanted, and often Anne would spend a long time just letting the wind carry her and enjoying the sense of freedom it gave her.

Sometimes, she would also watch what people got up to in the city at night. She could also do that walking through the city in her normal body, but it could be risky if someone talked to her and identified her as a vampire. No, she usually preferred staying on the rooftops or watching as a bat.

Anne focused back on her surroundings, noticing that she’d mindlessly flown to a familiar building while lost in her thoughts. She landed on the rooftop she’d been sitting on last night, her gaze falling over to the balcony. The lights were on.

She remembered the woman’s interest, how she’d asked her why she hadn’t killed her. Anne hadn’t been able to answer that question since she’d passed out, and part of her wanted to rectify that. Would she really appreciate that? Surely not.

Part of Anne also wanted to make sure she was doing alright, that little voice in her head nagging her to check on her even though she never did that. Even though it was her rule to bite them once and never return.

And yet.

She couldn’t explain the lack of rational thought to herself, only knew the nagging feeling would likely not leave her alone anytime soon if she didn’t act on it. Aunt Anne’s voice echoed in the back of her mind, kindly telling a younger Anne how these impulses were our souls trying to guide us on a better path. Anne had never believed it, but the memory drove her as she flew over to the balcony.

****

Ann was humming along to the melody of a pop song in her head as she stirred the contents of the pan, taking a deep breath of the stir fry, her mouth watering already. She reached for her fork and tasted it, humming contentedly before adding some salt and trying it again. _Perfect._

She moved the pan off the cooker when there was a knocking sound from behind her. Ann turned, finding herself looking into dark eyes as the vampire was leaning against her doorframe.

Fear clutched her heart as Ann’s eyes widened and she pressed back against the stove as if she could get away. But the vampire was blocking the only exit; she was trapped.

Anne realised how this must look. She couldn’t blame her for that reaction, and part of her scolded herself for coming here at all and scaring this young woman who seemed to have been having a nice evening on her own before she decided to ruin it by showing up.

“I’m not here to hurt you,” she started carefully, awkwardly scratching the back of her neck as she realised she hadn’t really thought about this. How this would go. She suddenly felt a little silly.

But Anne Lister didn’t make a fool of herself. That didn’t happen, she reminded herself, her pride kicking in making her stand more upright as she looked at the woman.

“Are you recovering well?” She pointed at the wound.

Ann looked at her wide-eyed, clutching at the counter behind her as she tried to keep herself upright. She’d expected to already find herself pressed against the wall while fangs tore into her skin once more, but that question caught her off guard. Her adrenaline-fuelled brain took a moment to find a proper response.

She cleared her throat, trying to find her voice. “I, uh… yes. Yes. The morning was rough but I’m fine now, thank you.”

Why was the vampire here?

Anne nodded. “That’s good, that’s good.”

Awkward silence followed, and Anne wondered if she shouldn’t just leave.

“H-how did you get in? I didn’t keep the balcony door open.”

A small smile grew on Anne’s lips as she pointed behind herself. “One of the windows was tilted open.”

Ann raised an eyebrow in question. No person could fit through that. Or did she break it…?

“I turned into a bat and flew through.”

_Oh._ Ann nodded as understanding set in. “I didn’t know- I didn’t know you could do that.”

Anne hummed in response, noticing the woman looked a little less tense as she leaned against the counter less anxiously. She cleared her throat.

“I was thinking… you asked me a question, and I didn’t get to answer it.”

Ann licked her lips nervously, but nodded when she remembered what she meant. “Yes.”

Anne opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by a beeping sound.

“One sec,” Ann said as she turned towards her stove and turned off the alarm she’d set herself for her food. The hairs on her neck stood up even in those few short moments she had her back to the vampire, and she took a sharp breath when she turned back and the woman stood closer to her now, though still with some distance.

Anne took a step back, suddenly feeling rude. She’d kind of barged in here forcing herself on this woman again, hadn’t she? Just because she hadn’t attacked her this time it didn’t make it any less wrong. She bit her lip.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have just broken in here like this, assuming you’d be fine with that. I better see myself out.”

It was the polite and right thing to do. Anne turned to go.

“No, I… I’d still like to hear what you have to say.”

She looked over her shoulder, finding the blonde’s eyes on her with a shy but determined expression. Anne slowly nodded.

Ann moved over to her kitchen table, gesturing to the seat. “Please… take a seat.”

So she did. Ann put her food on a plate, looking at her over her shoulder as a thought occurred to her. “Do you, uhm, do you eat food at all?”

Sometimes, it surprised Anne how little most humans still knew about vampires. But she guessed it wasn’t exactly necessary knowledge for them. “Rarely, when I feel like it. It’s more for the taste, it doesn’t sustain me. I need blood for that.”

She offered an apologetic smile when their gazes met, and Ann nodded before walking over to put her plate on the seat opposite her. “I’m afraid I didn’t make enough for two people, but can I offer you a drink?”

“I’m good, thank you.” Truth be told, Anne wouldn’t have minded something to drink but she didn’t want to bother this woman any more than she already had by coming here.

Ann sat down and dug into her food. It looked good, and taking in the smell, Anne figured it was likely something she would’ve also enjoyed having. But she focused back on why she was here.

“Right… you asked me why I kept you alive.”

Ann put a fork full of food in her mouth, her eyes on the vampire signalling she was paying attention.

“The truth is, I don’t like to inflict more suffering than I have to to sate my hunger. And it makes it easier to stay low profile without the vampire hunters investigating a dead body.”

Ann swallowed her food, her face temporarily souring at the mention of the vampire hunters – Thomas worked for them. Ann did not want to be reminded of him right now.

Anne didn’t fail to notice the brief show of disgust on the woman’s face, and she wondered if she’d said something wrong. She guessed it was probably not a pleasant topic to think about for someone who’d become one of her victims just the night prior.

“So you’ve never killed anyone?”

Anne rubbed her hands together. She certainly wished that were true. “Well… no.”

Looking at the vampire, the way she was avoiding eye contact and rubbing her hands together, Ann could see that this was probably not something she was proud of or wanted to talk about more. So she didn’t ask about it any further.

“Why did you choose me?”

Anne looked back up, glad that the blonde had decided not to enquire further.

“I saw you on the streets and followed you on the rooftops. There is honestly not too much to it, I just pick someone who looks worthwhile and wait till I can get to them somewhere secluded… like their home.”

Ann chewed the last bit of her food and put her fork down, taking in what the vampire just said. It sounded rather clinical, like she put little emotion into the entire thing. Ann guessed that made sense, for her it was probably as normal as it was for Ann to cook her food and eat it to live. Or for a wild animal to hunt their prey. It made sense. And still, the vampire showed more consideration than a wild animal by choosing not to kill her prey.

Their gazes met, and for the first time Ann had a proper chance to take her in. Her brown eyes focusing on hers and the little wrinkles around them that suggested she was probably around her early fourties if Ann had to guess, the firm line of her jaw that gave her entire face a strong character, and those red lips curling into a smirk. Ann’s eyes flicked up.

“Am I that fascinating?”

Ann had been caught. A blush spread on her cheeks as she quickly rose from her seat and brought her plate to the sink, biting her lip when she turned back.

“I didn’t mean to stare. Sorry.”

Anne smiled, feeling like the tension between them had dissolved a little. “Don’t worry about it.”

Silence followed, and Ann wondered what she should do now. She could certainly ask her unexpected guest many more questions – she barely knew anything about vampires. But wouldn’t that be a bit much?

“What’s your name? If you don’t mind the question.”

Ann looked up, finding the vampire’s interested gaze on her. “I’m Ann.”

A smile grew on Anne’s lips as she rose from the chair. “Looks like we share a name. I’m Anne too.” She held out her hand.

Ann wasn’t quite sure why such a simple gesture made her nervous, maybe it was the dashing smile accompanying it. She steadied her nerves and took her hand, momentarily surprised feeling the warm skin against hers but quickly recalling she’d not felt any cold when Anne had held her hand over her mouth either.

“What?” Anne raised an eyebrow as their hands parted.

Ann shook her head with a smile. Anne must think her silly certainly. “I didn’t expect you to be… warm.”

“That is a common misconception. I don’t know where that belief came from, but it’s wrong.”

There were many things Ann didn’t know about this woman and her life as a creature of the night. Again she felt curiosity bubble up within her, and spotting no sign that Anne wanted to leave, she decided to go for it.

“Do you want to stick around a little? I could make tea if you like.”

Anne hadn’t planned on it. She wasn’t a tea drinker either. But she couldn’t deny that the thought of spending more time in Ann’s presence felt good, that she was starting to feel more comfortable around her and would like to talk to her more. Anne’s existence was a rather lonely one, and while Tib was a good friend, it was a friendship best enjoyed in small doses.

“Sure, I’d like that.”

They sat together in the living room shortly after, the tv running quietly in the background as Ann asked her the questions that came to mind: How old was Anne? – Roughly 42 in human years, and she had been a vampire for round about 12 years, so would be turning 52 in spring if she’d stayed human. Ann wanted to know how quickly they aged – 1-2 years in 10 human years.

“So you weren’t always a vampire. How were you turned?”

Anne swallowed. She guessed it made sense that Ann would ask her that question next, but even after 12 years it was a topic she wasn’t comfortable with – too many painful memories.

Ann noticed the shift in atmosphere, the way Anne’s shoulders tensed as she seemed to put more distance between them on the sofa. It was clearly a sensitive topic.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to-“

Anne looked at her directly, forcing a smile. “It’s fine. It’s just something I don’t usually talk about.”

Ann nodded, and it became silent save for the tv. She suddenly felt bad for having asked this question.

“What about you? Want to tell me about yourself?”

Ann licked her lips. Somehow she hadn’t expected that question. “Oh, I…”

Where should she start? Ann looked around the room a little helplessly before her gaze settled on Anne who was looking at her expectantly.

“Well, you know where I live, this is my place,” she started, holding out her arms. “I live alone, as you probably noticed, and I’m turning 30 next year. Oh, and I work at the hospital.”

She felt small under that strong gaze, knowing well that she wasn’t good at talking about herself.

But Anne only nodded as if everything was fine, smiling. “At the hospital, hm? Is that why you came home so late last night?”

Ann smiled, relief washing over her that Anne wasn’t giving her a funny look. “Yes. Sometimes I work late. I’m a doctor.”

Anne took a sip from her tea, it was honestly not bad considering she wasn’t a tea drinker at all. “A doctor. And why does a doctor like you go home through the empty streets in the middle of the night on foot, instead of taking a taxi? Surely your job pays well enough.”

Anne looked directly at her with a knowing gaze, but it wasn’t unkind. Ann figured she had a point, and she wasn’t the first person to tell her walking home at such hours wasn’t safe.

“I just like it, I guess. The calm quiet of the night around me while I walk the short way home. It feels peaceful.”

Anne could most definitely agree with that statement, the late night was peaceful. She could not argue with that.

“True. I know what you mean all too well. Still, maybe think about it. It isn’t safe. One of these days a thug might take the chance.”

In truth, this wasn’t usually the kind of talk Anne had with people. It wasn’t any of her business really, and yet some part of her still found it important to tell Ann this, even if it wasn’t her place.

Ann nodded, and while the advice wasn’t new to her, it still made her feel warm in her chest to know that Anne was considerate enough to mention this. “Thank you, I appreciate the thought.”

They talked a little longer about Ann’s workplace, and she joked how she was probably about as comfortable with blood as Anne, considering how often she was in contact with it in the hospital. She told her she took great pleasure from helping people in need and saving lives, though it was also a very taxing job that often left her drained at the end of a long day.

Hours had passed by the time Anne left. Ann found herself standing at the balcony watching her shapeshift and fly away. She wondered if this was the last time she saw her but hoped it wasn’t. Anne was a vampire, but she wasn’t a monster – that much Ann knew for sure by now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not a coffee drinker, so no idea if I described those ready to drink coffees right, but this is how I imagine them :D  
> I feel like there's a lot of explaining and setting up to do, so I'm hoping it doesn't drag in places. What do you think?


End file.
